Friday, January 31, 2014

I feel like I shouldn't even get to write this post: Mere and her family worked so hard on making Cece's Barnyard Bash a success (my jobs were to watch the kids as everybody set up for the party, and pick up the cake from Shelby Lynn's Cake Shoppe in Springdale). Oh, and of course show up and look pretty; I did the first part at least.

Doesn't it look pretty? And Jennifer at Shelby Lynn's Cake Shoppe is SO amazing, always!

The birthday girl - happy as usual!

She welcomed her guests with high-fives. :)

Look at John Grady. Such a cool little dude! There might be an arranged marriage in the making.

Love this sweet pic of me and m'baby.

Cece enjoyed the petting zoo (see her arm way down in there?), and riding the ponies!

And then... folks... Cece got a kiss. From a boy. Seeger does have pretty much the best hair ever for a boy, so I approve.

Grammy Ruth (Cecelia Ruth's great grandma) played the Ukelele as we all sang Happy Birthday.

Such a special moment

Grandma B made her smash cake, which was more like faceplant cake.

Running around with big sister Ellie, losing her headband somewhere along the way. The sign of a fun day!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Alana's new last name is Valentine. Isn't that the best? And really, SHE'S so deserving, and will wear her new name well. Alana was such a sweet bride, who not only had a first look with Paul, but also with her Dad, followed by her brother. I'm pretty sure she cried during all three. I love that kind of emotion, and those kind of families.

I'd love for you to look over the pictures below, but then go to Alana's blog where she's written all about her wedding (she's a great writer!): http://alittlealana.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

If you've followed me on here, fb, or instagram for any amount of time, you know that I love food. I love eating it, I love creating it, and I love serving it. While it's out of the realm of possibility for me to run a restaurant, we figured out that it's quite possible for me (and a small staff, of course) to run a food truck!

We purchased the truck in October (fun story about that... ask me sometime!), and had to remodel the inside of the former Fedex truck, as well as have it painted and designed, all while secretly working on and fine-tuning our menu.

Alas, Baller Foodtruck was born! What a cutie right? We developed the concept and theme, as well as the logo, with the help of our closest friends and family (thanks y'all!). I can't wait for everybody to see it in person!

The concept: gourmet comfort food... as balls. Balls are easy to eat... not messy (like most foodtrucks) so it's perfect for a yummy lunch or late-night food after some fun on Dickson. We've thought of about a hundred different balls, tried all sorts of recipes, and have quite the menu. Some samples include the Thanksgiving Ball, Pizza Ball, and Mac+Cheese Ball. Mmmm!!!

It's been a fun learning process along the way, and we are excited to officially launch the truck in March (with some secret mini-launches along the way!) By the way, here's Baller as it came to me... just waiting for a 2nd life as a foodtruck!

Here are a couple iphone pics of some finished dishes:
Taco Ball - there's going to be a much better name at some point, but for clarity's sake, we'll just go with Taco Ball right now. Haha! The sauce and fresh shaved cheddar make a rockin' little difference!

And the Thanksgiving Balls with Cranberry sauce (not the way it'll look from the truck... this is just they way I plated it for the family at home). This ball is turkey and stuffing, and we make our own cranberry sauce that is pretty rad. This seems to be an early favorite for all who have tried the balls!

So, you might have questions...

1) Is anything changing with your wedding photography business?
NOPE - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I have an amazing staff at Benfield Photography and our main priority is, and always will be, Benfield Photography. Benfield Photography is my baby that I've dedicated... literally... my LIFE to and we've developed so many wonderful relationships with Benny Brides that we always intend to invest in. I'll still be the main shooter, email answerer, daily blogger, etc. Literally nothing will change.

2) Will this foodtruck be a full-time job?
For me, no. While developing it has seemed like a full-time job at times (I haven't slept in 4 months... haha! Just kidding!), I have a great person to run the truck when I'm not there (obviously I can't be on the truck on weekends, ever, since we're already booked up every weekend of 2014). For our main person, Leah, yes... it'll be a full-time job! Leah is an incredibly hard worker, knows a ton about food, and shares our vision of delivering great service to clients. Yay for creating more jobs for Arkansas!

3) Will I see you (Dale) on the truck?
I hope so! I plan to work lunch services when I can - I LOVE serving people! Noon is never really a great time to shoot in terms of lighting, so it makes perfect sense that I can be available to help Leah out by serving my friends.

4) Where will you be located?
The plan is to be a roaming foodtruck, and not stay in one place! We're going to try to have a set schedule, so Mondays we might always be at location A, Tuesdays at location B, and so on! For the most up-to-date info on the truck's location and availability, follow on Instagram (instagram.com/ballerfoodtruck) and Twitter (twitter.com/ballerfoodtruck).

We don't have our locations set yet, so if you think you know of a great place for us to serve lunch to about 100-150ish, please let me know!

5) Will you cater/do weddings?
Yes! We plan to do some fun events. If you're interested in Baller being at your event, send an email to: ballerfoodtruck@gmail.com and Leah or I will get back with you asap! :) Or, if you want us to hang out at your work and feed your staff, hit us up!

6) Will Baller be posting on Benfield Photography blog?
Nope, Baller has its own website, blog, and social media. Check out ballerfoodtruck.com for more. This might just be the only time you see Baller on the Benny Blog.

7) Can I have a job at Baller?
Our long term goals definitely have the possibility of hiring more people! If you're interested, email ballerfoodtruck@gmail.com. Right now, we're pretty set, but we are always looking to have the right people on the bus... er... truck!

Ya'll... I'm seriously so excited about this! This passion project has become a reality and I'm pumped to share it with y'all! Make sure to come out and try some balls! :)

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

I find it really touching when sisters both use Benfield Photography for their weddings. You see, most sisters go out of their way to use DIFFERENT vendors, venues, etc. than their sisters when planning their wedding. While Katie is planning a different location and vendors than her lovely sister Allison, one thing will be the same: US! Yay!! It's such an honor! Obviously, their pictures won't be the same - I could shoot every day of the year and not give a client the same thing, it's just nice to have our clients notice that!

Katie is such a sweet heart! From the first time I met her she has been such a little darling, which is obviously true of all the Waldrip sisters. I couldn't be more excited for her Fall November wedding!

Monday, January 27, 2014

Yo... where all my families at!
Our fall schedule is filling up and that's always the time families want to schedule their sessions to get some fab Christmas cards. Families... it's time to get on our schedule to make sure you get a great time slot for your family! Shoot me an email or a text to get on the calendar! :)

By the way... how gorgeous is the Sbarra family below? It's an easy day when this family is the session!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

I've never shot a wedding in reverse before, but it was SO fun! Amy and Doug got married and kissed at the stroke of midnight as 2013 turned into 2014, but that's not where the fun started. Actually, the party had been going on for hours, because Amy and Doug had their reception first!

Amy and Doug trusted the team at Bates Events with the logistics of the non-traditional timeline and they of course made it fun and everything ran so smoothly. One of my favorite memories from the day was seeing Amanda (from Bates Events) signaling the time for the preacher from the back of the ceremony room so they could for sure get that midnight kiss. Well played, team!

Isn't Amy just darling?

We had our special first meeting on the twirling whirling staircase at Springdale Country Club. Love this!

Then it was party time! See? Backward... but crazy fun!

Then it was time to start the ceremony. Is this not the most precious moment? SO.MUCH.LOVE.

5...4...3...2...1... KISS!

Oh, and here are some more portraits from the wedding day. Yay!

I absolutely LOVE capturing the way girls look at boys! :) Here's a new super fave!

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